Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIE
Echecs : L’Arménie parmi les pays leaders lors des Championnats
d’Europe d’échecs par équipe

Les équipes masculine et féminine d’échecs d’Arménie ont remporté des
victoires lors de la 6 série des confrontations au Championnat
d’Europe d’échecs par équipe à Varsovie, en Pologne.

Levon Aronian et son équipe ont battu la Hongrie 2,5 à 1,5, tandis que
l’équipe d’Elina Danielian a écrasé l’Espagne de 3,5 à 0,5.

Avec les deux tiers du tournoi joué, l’équipe masculine d’Arménie a 9
points et est actuellement au quatrième rang parmi 38 équipes –
derrière la France (11 points), l’Azerbaïdjan (10) et la Russie (9).

L’équipe féminine arménienne est actuellement en deuxième position
avec 9 points, derrière l’Ukraine qui a 11 points.

samedi 16 novembre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

MARSEILLE-ARMENIE
Impressions de retour d’Arménie de la délégation de Marseille hier
soir à Beaumont (12e)
Jean-Claude Gaudin désire faire de 2015 L’Année de l’Arménie à
Marseille à l’occasion du centenaire du génocide

Salle comble hier soir à la Salle communautaire de l’Eglise
apostolique arménienne de Beaumont (Marseille, 12e) pour la
conférence-débat sur la Mission officielle du Sénateur Maire de
Marseille Jean-Claude Gaudin en Arménie. Mission en partenariat avec
la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie Franco-Arménienne. La députée
Valérie Boyer (députée des 11 e et 12 e arrondissements), le 1er
Adjoint Roland Blum et l’Adjoint au Maire Didier Parakian, ont tour à
tour présenté leurs impressions de retour d’Arménie ainsi que
l’évolution du jumelage entre Marseille et Erévan. Valérie Boyer,
Didier Parakian et Roland Blum furent très fortement applaudis lors de
leurs interventions qui se terminèrent par de larges échanges avec le
public. A noter que la très forte implication de Didier Parakian pour
la réussite de cette mission en Arménie a été saluée par de nombreux
invités.

Les élus marseillais ont annoncé la volonté de Jean-Claude Gaudin de
faire de 2015 ` L’Année de l’Arménie à Marseille ` afin de célébrer le
centenaire de la commémoration du génocide !

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 16 novembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com
‘855

ARMENIENS DE HONG KONG ET CHINE
Inauguration à Hong Kong du « Centre arménien Jack et Julie Maxyan »

Le 9 novembre fut inauguré le « Centre arménien Jack et July Maxyan »
de Hong Kong en présence d’une centaine d’Arméniens venus de Hong Kong
mais également de l’étranger. Le Catholicos Karékine II était présent
à l’inauguration et a apporté sa bénédiction. L’Ambassadeur d’Arménie
en République populaire de Chine, Armen Sarkissian était également
présent. Dans son discours A. Sarkissian a appelé à l’union des
Arméniens de toutes les régions de Chine afin de défendre les valeurs
culturelles et l’identité arménienne. Le lendemain de l’inauguration,
l’archevêque Haïgazoun Nadjarian représentant de l’Eglise arménienne
d’Australie et de Nouvelle Zélande a donné une messe. Puis le
professeur Sebouh Aslanian de l’Université de Californie a donné une
conférence sur les commerçants Arméniens de Nouvelle Djoulfa. Puis
s’est déroulé la naissance de « l’association de la communauté
arménienne de Chine » qui sera présidée par Henri Arslanian.
Précisions que le Catholicos Karékine II était en Chine afin de
visiter Pékin, Shanghai et Kwantchou. A Pékin il a participé à la mise
en place d’un khatchkar arménien -le premier en Chine- à l’occasion de
la Fête de l’Indépendance de l’Arménie.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 16 novembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

IN A TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD, AZERBAIJAN IS FRIEND OF THE JEWS

JWeekly
Nov 14 2013

by rabbi doug kahn

Follow j. on and

What country outside of Israel has a community composed exclusively
of Jews who live there voluntarily and trace their roots to the
destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE? What Muslim country has
dramatically expanded its economic and military ties with Israel? What
country has a Shiite Muslim majority, no state religion, and provides
state support to religious institutions, including Jewish ones?

The answer to all of these questions is Azerbaijan, which became
independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.

I recently returned from a visit to this small nation surrounded
by the Caspian Sea, Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Russia. Azerbaijan
is a well-kept secret in almost every way – including its leaders’
commitment to flourishing multiculturalism, the theme of the Baku
Humanitarian Forum to which I was invited by the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry.

Approximately 750 international delegates attended the conference
hosted by President Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijan is not a Western-style
democracy, and it has a strong leader who took over from his father.

Yet, there is little doubt about Aliyev’s popularity in a country
that is undergoing an astonishing economic and building boom.

President Aliyev spoke eloquently about Azerbaijan’s commitment
to multiculturalism and positive interethnic and interreligious
relations. He also spoke powerfully about the Armenian takeover of
Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to approximately 1 million Azerbaijani
refugees and the failure of the world community to respond in any
serious way. The organizers’ hope clearly was that we would find
shared values with Azerbaijan and support its quest to regain the
territory currently held by Armenia.

The highlight of my trip was experiencing the unique Jewish story of
Azerbaijan, and I am grateful to Azerbaijani Consul General Nasimi
Aghayev for making it possible for me to experience it firsthand.

Our small group met with Ambassador Elshad Iskandarov, chairman of the
State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, who noted the
growth of anti-Semitism in the world, especially in the Muslim world,
and indicated that Azerbaijan stands in sharp contrast with that trend.

He explained that while the population is overwhelmingly Muslim,
Azerbaijan is unique because: 1) it is on the Great Silk Road and
therefore throughout history had to be open-minded; 2) the identity
of the nation was built on many foundations, including that of the
ruling Khazars whose leaders converted to Judaism in the eighth
century; and 3) the form of Shiite Islam practiced is influenced by
Sufi tradition and is committed to tolerance.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he noted, because the Russians
did not allow Jews to purchase synagogues in the cities, the Muslim
community bought land and gifted it to the Jewish community. He
acknowledged the challenges posed by radical religious movements in
neighboring countries, but stated that the tolerance in Azerbaijan
can be a beacon for Europe. One way Azerbaijan is addressing the
challenge is by sending guidance on sermons to the mosques aimed at
reinforcing moderation. I wondered whether that step would be possible
in a Western-style democracy.

Next we visited Parliament to meet with Yevda Abramov, a Jewish
parliamentarian and a leader of the Mountain Jews. He talked about the
Jewish community’s loyalty to the country, and reiterated the nation’s
commitment to tolerance and cooperation, as well as the world’s double
standard in ignoring the Armenian actions in Nagorno-Karabakh. He told
us that not only is there good cooperation between Jews and Muslims,
but Ashkenazi and Mountain Jews also get along.

We visited the New Synagogue, recently built by the government for
approximately $2 million for the Mountain Jews living in Baku. The
Mountain Jews come from the Quba region and comprise the majority
of the 15,000 Jews living in Quba and Baku. Nearly 300 years ago,
the area’s leader, Fatali Khan, allowed Jews to develop a community
on one side of the river (free to move anywhere they wanted), and
today 4,000 Jews live in Krasnaya Sloboda (the Red Village) – the
largest community of Mountain Jews outside Israel.

At their synagogue in Baku, we met Milikh Ilhanonovich Yevdayev,
chairman of the Religious Community of Mountain Jews, who told us
that 300 to 500 Jews gather for the holidays in Baku, and that they
have two schools and a yeshiva.

A delegation from the conference journeyed to the Quba region and
visited the Red Village, which contains three synagogues. (There were
13 before the Soviets closed most of them.) We met Boris Simanduyen,
head of the community, at a beautiful synagogue on Shabbat afternoon.

He, too, praised the commitment of the Azerbaijani government to
religious diversity and tolerance.

While a number of young people have left the community (for Moscow and
elsewhere), and the population is down from a one-time high of 18,000,
we were surrounded by children as we walked through the town and at
the synagogue. One young teenager opened a prayerbook and speed-read
in Hebrew to show us what he had learned. As we left, I hoped that
this truly unique chapter of Jewish history would continue and thrive.

The conference exposed us to a country that defies stereotypes and
that deserves global Jewish recognition for its positive contributions
to sustaining Jewish life and promoting a genuinely multicultural
society in a very challenging neighborhood. Azerbaijan continues to
grow relations with Israel despite pressure from its neighbors. We
don’t have so many friends in the world. When we do, it is important
to reach out to them in return.

Rabbi Doug Kahn is executive director of the San Francisco-based
Jewish Community Relations Council.

OSCE ENCOURAGES STUDENT DEBATING IN ARMENIA

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Nov 14 2013

VIENNA, Austria

Some thirty five students from seven Armenian universities are
gathering in Yerevan today and tomorrow for the final in a series
of debates.

The initiative, supported by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Jinishian
Memorial Foundation (JMF) and the US Embassy in Armenia, gives students
an opportunity to improve their public speaking, debating and research
skills, as well as helps promote civic activism among students.

The project started in May 2013 and involved some 280 university
students aged 18-25 from Yerevan, Idjevan, Gavar, Gyumri, Goris,
Kapan and Vanadzor. Participants were trained in both debating and
researching, and participated in a number of thematic workshops with
state institutions, civil society and international organizations in
preparation for this final tournament. Debate topics have ranged from
the public financing of higher education and youth political parties,
to women’s role in the military. The winners will be announced after
the final debate to be held tomorrow.

Oliver McCoy, Democratization Programme Officer at the OSCE Office in
Yerevan said, “The ability to communicate effectively is the lifeblood
of democracy. Mature, stable democracies not only provide space
for a range of different opinions, but the citizens themselves are
knowledgeable and express their points persuasively. It’s encouraging
to see these skills on display here today.”

Ruben Krikyan, Civil Society and Education Program Coordinator
of the JMF Armenia, added: “Building communication and analytical
thinking skills among youth are very important as it gives them the
opportunity to actively participate in the development of the civil
society in Armenia.”

INITIATIVE TO PREVENT GAS PRICE RISE LAUNCHES DRIVE FOR SIGNATURES

21:43 ~U 15.11.13

The civil initiative To Prevent Gas Price Rise has organized a drive
for signatures in Yerevan Freedom Square.

The activist Aram Grigoryan told Tert.am that the initiative decided
to appeal the Public Services Regulatory Commission’s “wrong decision”
in the Administrative Court this August.

“The Commission made an illegal demand for hearing in camera. But
the Commission is supposed to protect public interests, and its
activities must be transparent. When we applied to court we had only
five signatures and were told that a few signatures did not represent
public interests. And we are trying to prove the opposite now,”
Mr Grigoryan said.

According to him, the Commission is executing political orders.

With respect to the necessary number of signatures, the activist
Andrias Ghukasyan told Tert.am that according to the law the court
can apply oral procedure if it is convinced of the issue being of
public importance.

“The essence rather than the number of signatures is of importance,”
he said.

“We have 500,000 gas consumers and 700,000 electric energy consumers
in Armenia. So the public cannot but be indifferent to the problem,”
Mr Ghukasyan said.

Several thousand signatures can prove it is a matter of public concern.

The drive will last for a week. In Armenia’s regions it will start
from next Monday.

UNION OF TRANSPORT COMPANIES CHAIR REVERTS TO FARE PROBLEM

18:21 ~U 15.11.13

Chairman of the Union of Transport Companies Hrant Yeghiazaryan
addressed a letter to the Yerevan Municipality a few days ago, wherein
he demanded that the fares be raised up to AMD 150 per passengers,
with the government to subsidize the rest AMD 50.

Mr Yeghiazaryan told journalists on Friday that the Yerevan
Municipality called on the transport companies to wait for the relevant
committee to calculate the passenger traffic and discuss the fares.

“We are discontented with the Yerevan Municipality’s approach to our
problems. If things go on like this, we will remain without vehicles,”
he said.

The coming winter will create serious problems for passengers because
fixed-run drivers will stay away from work.

“We do not have the necessary number of snow tyres,” Mr Yeghiazaryan.

Drivers refuse to work for the current wages, and many cars are
not operated.

Armenian News – Tert.am

“IT IS IMPORTANT TO INTENSIFY TIES BETWEEN THE SOUTH AND NORTH CAUCASUS”

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 14 2013

14 November 2013 – 11:48am

In early November, three major non-political events took place in the
Transcaucasia – the second Baku Forum of Humanitarian Cooperation,
the third Interregional Russian-Armenian Forum, and the fourth
Festival of Russian Cinema in Tbilisi. Mikhail Shvydkoi, special
envoy of President of Russia on international cultural cooperation,
told Vestnik Kavkaza about the cultural projects which are being
fulfilled in the Transcaucasia with Russian participation.

“The forum entitled Humanitarian Aspects of Human Development recently
ended in Baku. This forum involves a lot of platforms. The platforms
are connected with humanitarian aspects of human life. For example,
biotechnologies and problems of ethics, multiculturalism and modern
development, humanitarian aspects of economy and so on. The forum
gathers many participants, as a rule – 800 people, many Nobel Prize
winners, prominent politicians, journalists, cultural activists. And
of course many people come from the North Caucasus. I think this forum
is of high importance because the discussed problems are significant
for the North Caucasus republics,” Shvydkoi stated.

Speaking about the forum “Toward New Achievements in Interregional
Cooperation in Russian-Armenian Allied Relations,” Shvydkoi noted:
“The forum is interesting because it is attended not only by governors
from central Russia and Siberia, but also presidents and heads of the
republics from the North Caucasus. Armenia intensively cooperates with
our North Caucasus republics. Even though it has no borders with them,
like between Azerbaijan and Dagestan, for instance, but they have
economic, humanitarian, interregional contacts.”

While Russia has close friendly relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia,
diplomatic relations with Georgia haven’t been restored yet. And
the festival of Russian cinema in Tbilisi is very important in this
context. “We hope that our humanitarian contacts with Georgia will be
encouraged,” Svydkoi stated. The film festival of Russian cinema in
Tbilisi has become traditional. I think it is a very important event,
as well as other theatre and musical festivals. I think despite all
difficulties in our relations with Georgia, humanitarian cooperation
should remain and develop.”

The special presidential envoy on international cultural cooperation
stressed that “a serious factor of stability in the South and North
Caucasus is international festivals and forums. Khloponin, the
permanent envoy of the president in the North Caucasus, initiated
several festivals, including in Kabardino-Balkaria and other regions.

I think it is a very important moment because as a rule young people
take part in them. I think it is important to intensify humanitarian
contacts between the South and the North Caucasus, as it will bring
great advantages for the region.”

ARMENIAN BUSINESSES WEIGH CUSTOMS DEAL

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #710
Nov 14 2013

Joining a former Soviet trading bloc could mean higher prices for
most imported goods.

By Tigran Gevorgyan – Caucasus

As the Armenian government moves further towards joining the Moscow-led
Customs Union, many businessmen are worrying about the effect the
trade arrangements could have on their livelihoods.

On November 6, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan formally launched the
accession process by signing a memorandum with Viktor Khristenko,
head of the Eurasian Economic Commission, the regulatory body that
oversees the Customs Union.

The current members of the Customs Union are Russia, Belarus and
Kazakstan, a market of 170 million people. Kyrgyzstan is planning
to join, and Tajikistan may do so in future. The bloc is part of a
broader project called the Eurasian Economic Union, planned for 2015.

In Armenia, people are still trying to have figure out what membership
would mean for them.

Being part of the grouping would remove trade barriers with other
Customs Union members, but it would also raise the customs duty
chargeable on imports from other states. That has to be a worry for
Armenia, whose trade with the European Union alone far exceeds that
with Russia, Belarus and Kazakstan taken together.

Officials are insisting membership will help an economy that has yet
to recover from the contraction it suffered after the 2008 financial
crisis, but so far they have been short on detail.

Interviewed by the Ukrainian news site Segodnya.ua, Prime Minister
Sargsyan said the country would benefit from closer integration with
Customs Union members.

At the same time, he acknowledged that there were risks. “Customs
Union tariffs are more than double our customs barriers with third
countries. We will have to struggle with various difficulties.”

Until September, Sargsyan and other officials were making
very similar claims about the benefits of integration
with a different economic bloc, the European Union. Then
President Serzh Sargsyan surprised everyone by announcing

that Armenia was going to join the Customs Union. Three years of
negotiations for an EU “association agreement”, which had only just
been successfully completed, went down the drain as European officials
made it clear the country could not be part of two different trading
arrangements.

When IWPR asked Deputy Economy Minister Karine Minasyan whether there
were any positive economic projections associated with Customs Union
membership, she replied, “At the moment we do not possess conclusive
data on that, and I’d struggle to give you figures. A great deal
depends on the terms under which our country joins the Customs Union.”

The deputy minister said the government had formed a working group
to hammer out the best possible terms of accession.

Weighing the pluses and minuses of the deal, Minasyan said, “It is a
positive thing that Armenian goods and services gain access to markets
in Russia, Belarus and Kazakstan without customs barriers. For us it’s
a problem that there are high customs barriers against imports of goods
[from non-members], since Armenia imports more than it exports.”

The latest official statistics show that 76 per cent of Armenia’s
external trade is with countries outside the Customs Union zone. This
implies higher levies on imports from most trading partners, and
hence higher consumer prices for Armenians.

“In Armenia’s current economic structure, imports are very important.

If the cost of imported goods rises because of high duties, then life
will get more expensive,” Armenak Chatinyan, economic columnist for
the Civilnet.am website, told IWPR. “If we intend to join the Customs
Union at an accelerated pace, then inflationary trends will continue.

People will have to pay more while their earnings remain where
they are.”

Local businessmen worry that they will end up caught in the middle.

Khachatur Sukiasyan, who owns the SIL Group, one of Armenia’s largest
trading and manufacturing firms, warned that businesses would be
forced to try to deal with Customs Union states, which they were not
doing now,

“It’s unclear how this will happen,” he told IWPR. “At the [October
2013] meeting in Minsk, it was clear that the heads of these [existing
member] states intend to bring in new members on terms beneficial to
themselves, often ignoring the interests of these new members. Our
government needs to understand that the accession process isn’t
going to be simple, since these are countries which are larger and
better-resourced than Armenia, and which want to protect their own
interests. That’s what worries Armenian businessmen.”

Moscow, the biggest economy in the Customs Union and the driving
force behind it, has been keen to draw in new members like Armenia,
as much for political as for economic reasons. (See Armenian Leader
Accused of Caving in to Moscow on the political pressures to join.)

Samson Avetyan, who heads the investment fund Arrow Global Ltd,
fears that if the Russian economy runs into trouble, other Customs
Union members could suffer the consequences.

“Despite high oil prices on international markets, Russia’s economy
has slowed for the seventh quarter in a row. This shows not only that
the country is unable to secure economic growth from [income from]
its energy customers, but also that it has systemic problems,” Avetyan
told IWPR. “It follows that Russia might have serious economic problems
next year. To deliver economic growth, it’s likely to close off its
market through higher customs barriers…. Armenian businessmen would
face being strangled by big Russian companies in a closed market.”

Tigran Gevorgyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.

PULLING THE RUG OUT

Pasadena Weekly, CA
Nov 14 2013

Schiff blasts Obama for refusing to allow display of Armenian
Genocide rug

By Andre Coleman 11/14/2013

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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) took the Obama administration to task
on Tuesday for refusing to display a symbol of gratitude given to
the US by Armenians shortly after the Armenian Genocide.

In 1925, Armenians presented a rug to President Calvin Coolidge as
a symbol of thanks for the assistance that the US gave to Armenians
during the Genocide, which began in 1915 and ended in 1923, resulting
in the murder of 1.5 million Armenians by soldiers with the Turkish
Ottoman Empire.

The rug has been kept in storage in the White House since it was
presented to Coolidge and was scheduled to be exhibited at the
Smithsonian Museum as part of the launch for the book “President Calvin
Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.” But that event was canceled
after the White House refused to allow the rug to be displayed without
any explanation.

Despite promises during his presidential campaign in 2008, President
Obama has been reluctant to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, which
Turkish officials have historically denied ever happened.

“The decision by the administration to block display of the Armenian
Genocide rug is as inexplicable as it is hurtful to the Armenian
community,” Schiff said in a prepared statement. “The rug is not only a
symbol of the resilience of the Armenian people through their darkest
days; it also serves as a tangible expression of the inherent truth
that not only were 1.5 million people killed in the first genocide
of the 20th century, but that the American government was a central
player in efforts to call attention to the plight of the Armenian
people and provide relief to survivors.”

The rug was hand-woven by orphans of the Armenian Genocide in an
American-sponsored orphanage run by a US charity created by an act
of Congress. The rug has more than 4 million hand-tied knots.

According to Schiff, Armenian organizations have been denied numerous
times over the past decade when seeking to have the rug displayed.

“The Armenian Orphan Rug is a piece of American history and it belongs
to the American people,” Schiff wrote. “For over a decade, Armenian
American organizations have sought the public display of the rug and
have requested the White House and the State Department grant their
request on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, Armenian Americans have
yet to have their requests granted.”